Monsters Under the Bed
by Lelila Solo
Summary: After a nightmare, Sofia comes to Arizona's rescue and lots of laughs ensue.


A/N: Just some light fluff to pass the time. Inspired by my beautiful, loving, understanding girlfriend.

* * *

><p>A smack in the face caused Callie to jump, wide awake, from the peaceful dreams of her wife on a beach in Spain. Blinking away the sleep induced haze, she rolled over to grab for Arizona's flailing arms. Shrill screams filled the air, and Callie wondered how those alone hadn't woken her up. But then she remembered the birds calling from the trees in her dream and would have chuckled had the situation not been so serious. Arizona was completely tangled in the sheets and the more she fought the more entrapped she became, and the more desperate her cries became. Sweat had slicked her hair to her face. Tension had drawn lines around her closed eyes, which were pinched shut tightly. This was not the coffins dream.<p>

"Arizona," Callie called softly to her wife. "Arizona, wake up. Come on honey, wake up."

Callie ran her hands over Arizona's arms and cradled her close .The screams were reduced to whimpers and that was when Callie heard the light knocking on their bedroom door. She brushed the hair off of Arizona's red cheek and felt the tears that lingered there. The blonde was murmuring, "No, no, no."

Getting up to answer the persistent knocking, Callie felt Arizona go stiff before the desperate cries began again in earnest.

"No, don't leave me! Please!"

"Arizona," she pulled her close again, whispering in her ear. "Arizona, I'll be right back."

"Promise me. You have to promise me," she pleaded in her sleep.

"I promise. Baby, I promise," Callie kissed her cheek and rolled off the bed. At least they had trained their six year-old well. The door opened with a creak and Callie looked down to see a bewildered Sofia. "What is it, Sof?"

"Mommy's in trouble," Sofia said.

Callie walked out of the room and closed the door behind her. "Mommy was just having a bad dream, Sof. She's okay."

She picked up her daughter, prepared to carry her back to bed. "But Mommy kept saying 'help me help me'. I heard her!" Sofia persisted. She struggled in Callie's arms. "I have to help her."

"Mommy is asleep," Callie clenched her arms like a vice around Sofia. "You know how we check under your bed for monsters so they don't get you while you're sleeping?"

"Mmm, yes," Sofia bobbed her head.

"Well, Mommy forgot to check under her bed for monsters before she went to sleep, so they got her," Callie tried to reason with her stubborn child. "But Mama saved her. The monsters forgot about me. And I'm not afraid of monsters."

"Mommy is?"

"Sometimes."

"She's alright?" Sofia stared at Callie, unsure.

"Yes."

"Can I see?" Sofia asked.

Callie sighed. "You have to be very quiet." She opened the door enough so that Sofia could see that her mommy was perfectly fine.

"Okay."

"Now, to bed with you. To bed, to bed, to bed I said," Callie gobbled at Sofia's cheek and carried her down the hall.

* * *

><p>The next morning, after Sofia was off at school, Callie pulled Arizona onto the couch. "We have to talk about your night terrors, babe."<p>

"Oh god," Arizona covered her face with her hands. "Not again."

"Yes, again. And this time you terrified Sofia," Callie pulled her hands away from her face and kissed them. "Apparently, you were screaming 'Help me! Help me!' and she was coming to your rescue."

"Apparently?" Arizona looked at her in confusion.

"Your screams did wake me up," Callie said. "I woke up when you punched me in the face."

"Please don't make me go to shrink again. I hate it," Arizona turned into Callie's chest and pouted.

"This is the third night this week, Arizona," Callie smoothed her blonde hair. "And it's Wednesday."

She let Arizona rest in her arms for a few moments. The stillness of the morning was her favorite time to hold her wife like this. The sun streaming through the windows warmed them just enough. Arizona relaxed with a sigh. Callie bent and kissed her forehead. "You know it's better on the meds."

Arizona whispered back, "I know."

"I love you."

"I know."

* * *

><p>They were getting ready for bed that night, Arizona being the first to slip off because she had an early day at the hospital the next morning. The shrink had re-prescribed her the anti-anxiety medication that helped keep the terrors in her dreams at bay. Sofia had not mentioned coming to her mother's rescue the night before, and Arizona was hoping that she had forgotten. Sitting on the bed, drying her hair with a towel, she saw Callie's and Sofia's shadow through the crushed glass door a moment before it opened. The little girl came bouncing into the room to tell her mommy goodnight and Arizona smiled before giving her a kiss. Callie sat on the floor by the door, waiting for the bedtime rituals to cease so that she could take the munchkin to bed. Sofia and Arizona had always had a special bond. When Sof was a baby, Arizona was the only one who could get their daughter to sleep again if she woke crying.<p>

When Sofia got on her hands and knees, Arizona threw a curious look at Callie, who shrugged her shoulders. "What are you doing, Sof?"

"Checking the bed for monsters," Sofia said matter-of-factly. She stuck her head all of the way under the bed and then scooted out to go check the other side. "You stay, Mommy. I got this."

Arizona gave a mockingly stunned look to her wife.

Sofia crawled to the side of the bed Callie was near and got down on the floor. She pushed herself under the bed, wriggling her little butt. Callie smiled at the effort, but Arizona was trying to see over the bed with suspicion. "Sof, what are you-" Callie stopped Arizona with a hand.

"Shh," Callie whispered.

After a few more moments, Sofia pushed herself back out from under the bed.

"Any monsters, Sof?" Arizona asked. She still couldn't see her daughter because of the way she was sitting on the bed.

"Just one," the muffled voice came. Sofia popped her head up.

Arizona screamed in shock and covered her mouth, falling backwards on the bed. Sofia was wearing a gorilla mask that Callie had bought her the year before at the zoo. "Oh my god!"

Callie rolled over onto her side with laughter. She knew buying that mask was a good decision. Underneath of it, she knew Sofia was beaming.

"Not scary, Mommy," Sofia pushed the mask up onto her head. "Just me."

"Sofia Robbin Sloan Torres!" Arizona exclaimed. Her shock was wearing off into an embarrassed chuckle. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

Grabbing her ribs, Callie roared with laughter. Tears rolled down her cheeks and she gasped for air.

"Calliope!" Arizona was laughing now too. "That wasn't funny."

"Yes…it…was," Callie managed to gasp out between fits of laughter as she rolled on the floor.

After realizing that she wasn't in trouble, Sofia climbed on the bed. Arizona began tickling her, "You think that was funny too, huh?"

"No Mommy!" Sofia burst into a fit of giggles.

"You little stinker."

"Mama, help me!" Sofia called desperately.

Callie regained her composure and got up, coming to her daughter's aid. She climbed over the bed and attacked Arizona's sides. As she dug her fingers into her wife's ribs, her ears were greeted with a squeal of laughter.

"Get her!" Sofia joined in the onslaught as Arizona tried to fight them off.

"No!" she cried from laughter.

Callie sat back on her calves and watched Sofia tickle Arizona. Her mind wandered back to the time when her wife wouldn't even consider a child.

Arizona noticed that Callie wasn't paying attention and whispered conspiratorially to her daughter, "Let's get Mama."

Sofia grinned with glee and launched herself at Callie, catching her off guard. She fell backward against the headboard with an "oomph" and found herself under attack. "No, Sof!"

"Ah, not so funny now, is it Calliope?" Arizona asked as she joined in with a wicked grin. Callie's ribs already ached from laughing at Arizona's shock and her lungs were soon burning for air. "Please…please."

Arizona wrestled Sofia off of Callie in a moment of mercy. "Mama needs to breathe."

Sofia giggled as they all caught their breath. Callie sat up and smiled at her girls after staring at the ceiling as she waited for her lungs to be able to expand fully. Arizona had buried her face in Sofia's soft curly hair and was sighing in contentment. Sliding over, Callie put her arms around her family.

Head nodding, Sofia was quickly falling asleep. Arizona looked up at her wife and kissed her sweetly. When she tried to pull away, Callie caught her cheek and pulled her back in for a more searing kiss. "I think it's time Sofia went to bed."

Callie scooped the youngster up into her arms. "Take your pill." She carried their daughter out of the room. She changed the sleepy girl into one of her favorite Princess nightgowns. They checked for monsters under the bed together. Callie tucked her in with a kiss goodnight and quietly shut the door behind her.

She walked back into her room, fully prepared to finish what she had started. But when she got there, a smile grew over her face. Arizona had fallen asleep, sprawled out over the bed. The sight warmed her heart. Blonde curls splayed out over the comforter and a peaceful smile rested on perfect pink lips. Callie reached over and flicked the light switch, dousing the room in darkness. Changing and brushing her teeth in the bathroom, she slid in next to her wife and curled up around her. The seal on the pill bottle was broken and the glass of water beside the bed had been drained. Tonight would be a peaceful night.


End file.
